Trap gun



lum 5, 1945 v. L. wlNTERsTEEN 2,377,658

TRAP GUN Filed Jne 22, 1944 Arron/ver i j PATENT `omfion n jf f "2,`az7,65s` ff y f fi 4Vaude Ii. Wintersteeng'mpas; Colo: l

, appiieatioaJm-az, Wiesmann@ einen@` scams. (c1. ia-84)` This irnrerrtic'mrelates` tof a'- trapgun of 'the-toxic gas* type designed for eliminating: Coyotes and other predatory. animals; The principali object: of: tl'iefV inventionis to" provide an* economical,

easily: set trapE gun .whichv will be more positivey andl certain in itsxaction than presenttrapnguns.` `'lrapgunsareain useatthe presentv time; Mostoff' these; however,` `arer not 100% ei'cient 'due' to the fact that the animal needznot1 have his head' inthe proper pcsitionforl the kill 1 atf the. time the trap` is sprung;` `An objectofthis'invention isrto! provideilav trap: gun whichcannot` bez fired" acci`-` dentally'and Whiclrcannotbe frredby the.animali` untifl his mouth is f directly in i line with the line` of fire of the gas` cartridge so that the dischargeA thereof will i be expelled directly into tlief animals Other objects'. and l''advantagesi` reside in 1 the de-r In the following detailedy description of: the in vention," referenceisr had"` to' the1 accompanying drawinglfwhichlformsa part hereof'.4 Like numer-` als refer.: to like partslirr alllvieufsoffthe` drawing and"tlfirough'ouiathedescription.` il 'n n Imthe drawing? similar' materiali permanently-attachedv to thefslcevea as illustrated.

standard/gas cartridge IB is received in a cartridgebarrel IL'I.: having anopen upper extrem-- ity and. anxinternally.- threaded lower extremity:` s

The openupper extremity of the barrel IrI: is` covcapii of the cartridge Iii; Theplunger nor.-

mallyfretainedin the retracted; position. by means Fig. 1 is a vertical sectionstnrougn themprovedtrapgun.illustratingitin the set position; Fig. 2 is a similar fragmentarysection illusu trating the gun in the ring position;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the improved trap gun; Fig. 4 is a cross-section through `the head thereof taken on the line 4 4; Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a similar cross-section taken on the .line 5-5, Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a detail View of an anchor plate which may be employed with the gun;

Fig. 7 is a detail section illustrating the ring pin mechanism; and n n n Fig. 8 is` a detail side view of the mechanism housing of the improved trap gun.

`.'I'he improved trap gun employs a cup-like mechanism housing IIJ, from the bottom of which a stake I I projects. This stake is xedly secured in axial alignment with the housing I0 and terminatesin a pointed ground piercing head I2.

`sleeve I4. The cap sleeve is imbedded in a surrounding skirt or shield I5 which may be a part itil eredand'surrounded by a'. fabric pad' |811 formed from4 ala-plurality of layerscf cloth secured thereon means or string or` thread ties` I9i which. are

wrapped about theipad` lzfand the barrel I1. The

lowen extrem-ityof the: barrel I'Iis threaded onto the upper extremity of a ring pin chamber 20r which. loosely rests upona `suitable cushion 2.I1 in thebottom of the housingll);

'Ihewiiring mechanism is: of standard'` design It: consists of a plunger 22` against Whichacompres` and can be purchased on theopen market;

sion :spring 2 3 acts. `Thefplunger terminatesr in; a

projecting'. iring pi-n.124 which can be expelled"V through a i pinv opening-25 into contact withl the` oacam 26 formed` on a cam. lever. 2T, as shown more. inlr detail in prior U; S.` Patent No. 2,145,488,.. fIn-.thisldevicadhe cam lever 21 extendsxthrouglr a notch-.215i in `theupper edge of( the housing. IIJ, in whichit isretanediby the Sleeve I4;

In use, the fabric padf i8is saturatedwitlh` any odoriferous` baiting fluidwhichw Willi attract the animal.V The device is: set bydrivingzthe stake.` I I e into the ground to a position approximately indicated by the brokenground line Gin Fig. 3. During the driving operation, the shield I5 and `the cartridge mechanism are removed from the housing. Any suitable driving plug can be placed in the housing for the driving operation.

When the housing is in place, the cartridge I6 is slipped into the barrel II and the latter is screwed onto the chamber 20. The chamber 20 with its assembled cartridge I6, barrel II`, and` pad I8 are then dropped into the housing I0 with the cam lever 21 in the notch 28. The sleeve and cap I3-Ij5 are then threaded onto the housing and the device is ready for use.

It will be noted that thepad I 8 has a rounded upper extremity which projectsvonly slightly above the` shield I5. Therefore, the only way that the animal can grip the pad is with his front teeth. This places the animals mouth directly over the shield with his head in axial alignment with the cartridge IE. There are no projecting portions n that he can take in his teeth to fire the gun as in the `usual trap gun. n When he has gripped the pad in his teeth and drawn upwardly thereon,

oi the sleeve ormay be formed of plastic or other 6 5 he will lift the entire ring mechanism` as shown in Fig. 2. This will cause the hinged extremity of the lever 21 to rotate the cam 26 so as to release the plunger 22, allowing the spring 23 to snap the firing pin 24 against the cap of the cartridge, discharging it through the fabric of the pad I8, as illustrated in Fig. 2, into the mouth of the animal. The skirt of the shield I5 projects outwardly and downwardly about the notch 28 and the lever 2I to prevent accidental contact therewith and to prevent soil, sand and other foreign material from interfering with the operation of the gun.

Should `the device be used in sand where it would be diilicult for the head I2 to retain it in position, an anchor plate 29, such as illustrated in Fig. 6, is employed. This anchor plate is provided with a central opening 30 for the passage of the stake I I and with a side channel 3| to allow the stake to enter the central opening. It is placed immediately above the head as illustrated andv covered with sand or earth in setting the trap.

While a specic form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein; it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

. Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A trap lgun comprising a cup-like housing;v a rod projecting downwardly from said housing; a firing mechanism loosely contained within said 4" housing; a firing lever projecting from said mechanism through a notch in the upper edge of said housing; a cartridge receiving barrel detachably secured to the uppereXtremity of said mechanism; and a skirt-like shield threaded' onto the upper extremity of said housing to retain said lever in its notch. i

2. A trap gun comprising a cup-like housing; a rod projecting downwardly from saidy housing; a rin'g mechanism loosely contained within said housing; a firing lever projecting from said mechanism through a notch in the upper edge of said housing; a lcartridge receiving barrel detachably secured to the upper extremity of said mechanism; a skirt-like shield threaded onto the upper extremity of said housing to retain said lever in its notch; and a flexible pad secured over the upper extremity of said barrel.

3. A trap gun comprising a cup-like housing; a rod projecting downwardly from said housing;

' in the ground.

a ring mechanism loosely contained within said housing; a ring lever projecting from said 4mechanism through a notch in the upperedge of said housing; a cartridge receiving barrel detachably secured'tothe upper extremity of said mechanism; a skirt-like shield threaded onto the upper extremity of said housing to retain said lever in its notch; and a-iiexible pad secured over the upper extremity of said barrel, the skirt of said shield being enlarged to extend downwardly about said housing to enclose the projecting extremity of said lever.

4. A trap gun comprising a cup-like housing; 1

a rod projecting downwardly from said housing; a firing mechanism loosely contained within said housing; a ring lever projecting from said mechanism through a notch in the upper edge of said housing; a cartridge receiving barrel detachably secured to the upper extremity of said mechanism; a skirt-like shield threaded onto the upper extremity of said housing to retain said lever in its notch; and la cushion positioned within said housing to support said mechanism therein.

5. A trap gun comprising a cup-like housing;

a rod projecting downwardly from said housing;

a` firing mechanism loosely contained within said housing; a ring lever projecting from said mechanism through a notch in the upper edge of said housing; a cartridge receiving barrel detachably secured to the upper extremity of said mechanism; a skirt-like shield threaded onto the upper extremity of saidV housing to retain said lever in its notch; and a pointed enlarged head formed on the lower extremity of said 6. A trap gun comprising a cup-like housing; a rod projecting downwardly from said housing; a ring mechanism loosely contained Within said housing; a firing lever projecting from said mechanism through a notch in the upper edge of said housing; a cartridge receiving barrel detachably secured to the upper extremity of said mechanism; a skirt-like shield threaded onto the upper extremity of said housing to retain said lever in its notch; a' pointed enlarged head formed on the lower extremity of` said stake for retaining it in the ground; and a slotted anchor plate detachably engaging said stake above said head to prevent its withdrawal.

. VAUDE L.` WINTERSTEEN.

stake for retaining it- 

